Piano Days and Other Malec One Shots
by minipage
Summary: Stories of everybody's favorite Shadowhunter and Warlock.
1. An Author's Note, to Begin

I have a particular dislike for Author's Notes, so this will hopefully be one of few.

My name is Alex and I'm new to but definitely not new to fanfic.

These are Malec oneshots that I've been writing for a couple of months now. They start off quite horrid and get much better (I think) as you keep going. I believe I have over 100,000 words of fanfic written and all of it is up on Wattpad and AO3 as of now. It'll take awhile to put onto but it'll get done eventually.

I'm always accepting prompts. Always. And they almost always get done so don't be afraid to ask. After all, we're all just making each others dreams come true here, fun friend.

So enjoy and comment, _comment,_ _ **comment**_

And I'll see you around :)

~A

 **Tumblr: .com and .com**

 **Wattpad: user/minipage**

 **AO3: /users/minipage/profile**


	2. Piano Days

Rain has an odd way of pushing us inside. It is difficult to pinpoint exactly what we fear about water and being wet, but we do.

Inside, however, the world can be much less exciting. We have to make do what lies within our grasp because the outside world has been put off-limits, by forces still unknown.

Staring out the window is a favorite past time of those held hostage by rain, especially if the window has a view like the apartment of Magnus Bane's. You could see most of Brooklyn out his massive window which was covered with speckles of raindrops. The sun was just beginning to set when the men finally made it into the shelter of their apartment.

They took off their soaked outer clothes and left them carelessly by the door. Chairman Meow walked, carefully balanced, along the back of the couch until Alec collapsed onto the cushions. Then the cat had no choice but to jump onto Alec's stomach to take a nap.

Alec stared out the window and Magnus fumbled around the kitchen, busying himself with another one of his projects.

"I hate rain," Magnus grumbled.

"That's only because your hair is 'ruined,'" Alec called into the kitchen.

There was a silent pause.

"Is it really?"

Alec laughed at his genuine concern, which disturbed the Chairman's peaceful slumber.

"No," Alec called. But Magnus' hair had lost some of it's volume.

Alec watched as the sun continued to fall in the distance. More and more of Brooklyn's lights began to illuminate, making the skyline much bolder and flashier.

Alec heard the rattling of glass against an unstable tray. He sat up. Had Magnus really attempted to make something?

"It's tea," Magnus explained, setting the tray on the coffee table. He sat where Alec's head had been just seconds ago.

Magnus wasn't much of a cook, but his time in England had taught him a few things: 1) the Herondale family history, 2) never trust a blind, drunken faerie in a game of poker, and 3) how to make good tea. And for the record, Magnus was a firm believer in "tea first- milk second." Only the uncultured steeped their tea in milky water.

Alec took a sip before setting the cup back on the tray and laying his head on Magnus' thigh. He turned his head so he could watch the city.

"Tell me a secret, Alexander."

"Secret?" Alec laughed. "You are, perhaps, my only secret."

"No," Magnus sighed. "I feel like I don't know enough about you."

"I don't understand," Alec said, looking up at Magnus. "What more is there to know?"

"Before me," Magnus said, idly running his fingers through Alec's hair, "what did you do?"

Alec started to laugh, trying to think of something.

"I'm serious!" Magnus said. "Tell me something."

"I can shoot an arrow-"

"Nope, try again."

"I can play piano," Alec admitted.

"Great," Magnus said. The coffee table was replaced with a grand piano. "Play me something."

"I'm hopeless, really," Alec insisted. Magnus pushed Alec off of him.

"Go do something great," Magnus said, as Alec got on his feet. He pulled the piano bench out.

Alec pressed down the D until the idea for a song came to his head.

There was nothing symbolic about it and he mentally begged Magnus not to read into the lyrics, as they were completely irrelevant.

He played the chord for D major until it formed the rhythm he wanted.

"This is gospel for the fallen ones.

Locked away in permanent slumber,

Assembling their philosophies,

From pieces of broken memories.

Oh, this is the beat of my heart, this is the beat of my heart,

Oh, this is the beat of my heart, this is the beat of my heart,

The gnashing teeth and criminal tongues conspire against the odds,

But they haven't seen the best of us yet."

There was a dramatic pause.

"If you love me let me go,

If you love me let me go,

'Cause these words are knives that often leave scars,

The fear of falling apart,

And truth be told, I never was yours,

The fear, the fear of falling apart."

He ended on the same D minor.

Magnus was oddly silent.

"That was absolutely beautiful," Magnus finally said. Alec shut the lid of the piano. "You do realize how beautiful that was, right?"

"It wasn't-"

"Don't deny yourself that," Magnus said. "It is okay to brag occasionally and this is one of those occasions."

Alec could feel himself blushing.

Then Magnus was beside him on the piano bench, kissing him as tenderly as Alec had played the keys.

 **Author's Note: This song is obviously "This is Gospel" by Panic! At the Disco. In my headcanon, Alec is quite capable of pulling off Brendon Urie's vocals and piano-ing. My other Alec headcanon is that he is really into mundane music. But only the good stuff.**


	3. Ultimate Illusion

"Alexander?"

The voice spoke through the darkness, almost singing the name.

Alec couldn't see a thing.

He couldn't move.

Instinct caused him to kick, struggle, get free but reason smacked him into realizing it was hopeless.

Energy was better saved on rational thoughts.

A match was lit in the corner of the room, light splashing against peeling wallpaper.

The match moved, lighting a large candle. The flame grew and the match moved onto the next candle.

The process was repeated over and over again until the person holding the match finally came into view.

Alec didn't focus on him. He focused on the chair he was tied to.

His ankles were bound to the front legs of the chair and his wrists to the armrests. The chair was heavy- too heavy for Alec to stand and swing the back legs around to incapacitate his captor, who still hadn't shown his face.

He and Jace had practiced the technique at home in the New York Institute one boring summer day. They had gone through five wooden chairs, slamming them against the wooden beams of the training room until their mom had come up with all the rage of a Ravener demon and banned them from the training room for a week.

Life had gotten significantly more boring after the punishment began.

Alec almost smiled but something on his captor's shirt had caught his eye. A speck of- glitter.

Alec found his voice. "Oh-"

Magnus had been caught. Magnus was- did he dare think it?

"No," Alec mumbled.

His captor's head turned, just enough for his yellow eyes catching the light.

"Wait- Magnus?" The cat eyes flicked up to look at Alec.

"You're up, dear," Magnus said as if it was just any regular morning. And that was exactly what Magnus said.

But it wasn't him. It couldn't be him.

The way he talked, the way he carried himself- it was almost exactly like Magnus but every part of Alec screamed that it wasn't really him.

"No." Alec shook his head and then he was kicking and struggling again.

"Don't fight," Magnus said. He walked over to Alec, his shoes- Magnus' shoes; the ones with the faux tap heel- clicked against the wooden floor.

"Who are you?" Alec demanded.

"I'm offended," Magnus laughed.

"Who are you?" Alec said, trying to sound more aggressive. Magnus' face only softened and a little smile appeared.

He knelt in front of Alec so he was at eye-level.

Magnus put a single finger on Alec's cheek, sliding it along his jaw bone, gently.

"Don't do that," Alec said, turning away. All of his mannerisms all too familar- all too real. "What do you want?"

"Where are your friends, Alexander?" Magnus asked casually.

"I'm not telling you," Alec said. He had to protect them. Jace. Izzy. Clary.

Magnus looked down and his smile melted.

"I'm hurt," Magnus said. "What did I do?"

"No! You're not Magnus-"

"Test me," Magnus said. "Anything and I'll know the answer."

"I won't-"

"Are you scared you're wrong? Are you scared that you don't know the real me when you see me?"

"I'm not- I know my Magnus and you're not him-"

"And if I am? You're being awfully rude right now. I mean, it's as if you don't really know me. I'm your Magnus."

"Untie me-"

Magnus leaned close, his lips right up against Alec's ear.

"It's too late for any of that, my dear Alexander."

A sharp pain slashed across his face.

He had been cu- Magnus had cut him!

Alec screamed, and not because of the physical pain; he could handle that. But then he was falling- through the floor, through time, through-

His eyes flew open.

It was dark again. He wrestled away from whatever was holding him down, sitting up.

Something red glowed across the room.

4:25

"No," Alec mumbled, still in a state of confusion.

"Alexander-"

Alec jumped, trying to brace himself.

"Alec!"

He blinked and his eyes started to adjust to the light.

"Alec, calm down," Magnus said. He was pushing himself up to a sitting position.

"No-"

"You're safe," Magnus said.

Alec felt Magnus' cautious touch on his hand.

"You tried to kill me," Alec muttered. Magnus' hand covered Alec's.

"I would never try to kill you," Magnus said. "You know that. It was nightmare-"

"You were possessed or-"

"I'm right here," Magnus said. Alec looked around the room, looking for a sign that this wasn't reality. "Alexander, look at me."

Alec looked back.

Magnus' eyes, the same eyes that had been the mark of a devil just minutes before, were concerned now.

This was reality.

He was safe.

He was fine.

Alec took a deep breath and his head fell against Magnus.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Magnus whispered.

Alec was silent, squeezing his eyes shut.

Magnus wrapped his arms around Alec, holding him tight for awhile.

Exhaustion had filled them both and Magnus laid back down, bringing Alec down with him. He didn't dare let go of his Alexander.

His arms were the only thing holding him together, and they both knew it.


	4. Puppies in the Rain

Magnus Bane could remember the days when New York was even filthier than it was now.

He thought about that as he kicked a smashed beer can out of his way and into an alley.

Brooklyn was oddly quiet tonight. There was probably some big event on TV. Was it the Superbowl?

He reminded himself that he didn't care. The mundanes could do as they liked.

A drop of water landed on Magnus' leather jacket.

Rain.

Exactly what he didn't need.

He put the hood of his sweatshirt, which was under his jacket, over his head, trying to protect himself from the harmless rain. He started walking faster. His apartment was too close to get a taxi.

The rain had gone from drops to a downpour.

That's when he noticed, through the sheets of water, a little ball of fuzz, waddling towards some form of shelter.

Magnus stepped closer carefully.

A puppy.

It seemed to be in a daze until it saw Magnus. It's little tail wagged back and forth.

"Oh no," Magnus said. "I am not-"

The tiny puppy jumped up, his front paws landing on Magnus' shoes.

Magnus pressed his lips together.

"One night," Magnus said. "Then I'm taking you to the shelter."

The dog just wagged it's tail.

Magnus scooped him up; he couldn't have weighed more than five pounds.

Now he was running for the apartment building, carefully watching his step so he didn't trip.

A few minutes later, Magnus set the puppy in a large shoe box lined with towels as he tried to dry the creature off.

It yipped in delight every time Magnus rubbed the towel against him.

"You like this?" Magnus scoffed.

It barked in response.

"What the hell?"

Magnus looked up. Alec was standing on the welcome mat, dripping wet.

"Did you just bark?" Alec asked.

The puppy, with no sense of his terrible timing, jumped up, his front legs dangling over the edge of the box.

"It's only for a night-" Magnus said, trying to stifle his laugh. The dog was wagging his tail so hard, that he was successfully making his way over the edge of the box, melting down the side in a wave of fur and fat.

"Yeah, sure," Alec said. He started to take off his coat as Magnus put the puppy back inside the box.

"I'm serious," Magnus said. "I haven't even named him yet so there's no attachment."

"I heard you talking to 'him,'" Alec said, complete with air quotes. He walked over to the kitchen counter where the nameless dog was finally starting to settle down.

"It's a Welsh corgi," Magnus said.

"You Googled it," Alec realized.

"Yes," Magnus said.

"Where did you find it?"

"It's a boy, Alec," Magnus said.

"I'm not getting attached to it," Alec said. "One night."

"Of course," Magnus said. "One night. And I found him on the street. He was very confused. He probably would have died if I hadn't saved him."

"The rain's only going to last a couple more hours," Alec said.

"He's only three weeks old," Magnus said.

"How do you know that-"

"I Googled it," Magnus said. "So sue me for being curious."

The puppy had rolled onto his side and was fast asleep, his little belly moving up and down with his snores.

"That's adorable," Alec whispered.

"What?"

"Nothing," Alec said. "I'm going to shower."

Magnus stood at counter, watching the puppy sleep.

...

Magnus woke up to the sound of the door creaking open. A little strip of light stretched across the room as a figure entered the room.

He instinctively reached for Alec but he was gone.

The person climbed into bed.

"Alexander," Magnus mumbled.

"Yes, Magnus?"

"Don't scare me like that," Magnus murmured.

That's when he felt the strange jumping on the bed.

Alec was whispering something so quietly not even Magnus could hear it.

"What are you doing?" Magnus asked.

Something furry brushed by his hand.

Magnus started laughing.

"Don't form any attachments," Magnus said.

"I'm not attached," Alec said. "He just shouldn't be left alone. You know, in case he got out, he could jump off the counter-"

"He's not that stupid."

"Well, he's still just a puppy."

"He's going to the shelter tomorrow morning," Magnus said.

The puppy had settled down in the space between Alec and Magnus.

It was silent as everyone fell back asleep.

...

Alec was gone when Magnus woke up the next morning. The puppy was back in his box but the box had been moved to the floor. A piece of sausage sat half eaten in the bottom of the box.

Magnus got ready at an incredibly slow pace for no reason other than to delay the inevitable.

The dog had to go whether he or Alec liked it or not.

Magnus picked up the box as he headed out the door. The puppy got excited again, wagging his tail and bouncing around.

For the first time since the puppy had arrived, Magnus saw Chairman Meow, lounging on the sofa. He obviously didn't care about the presence of another animal in the house. He didn't seem to care about much.

Magnus was silent as the elevator slid down. Even the puppy seemed to realize that something was off.

On the street he hailed a taxi.

Someone got out first though, nearly running into him and the puppy.

"Magnus, you can't give away the dog," Alec said, as he stumbled out of the taxi.

"Hello, to you too," Magnus said.

"Okay, so maybe I formed an attachment, and maybe I like the dog more than I should-"

"We can keep the dog," Magnus said.

The cabbie rolled down the window.

"Are you getting in or not?" he shouted out.

"No; I apologize," Magnus said. The cabbie drove away.

Alec reached inside the box, pulling out the puppy, holding the sleeping thing close to his body.

"Oh, that's adorable," Magnus said.

"We should probably take him to the vet," Alec said.

"I know a guy," Magnus said.

They went back inside the building.

It wasn't until they were back in the elevator that Alec looked up, taking his eyes off the corgi.

"He's really cute, Magnus," Alec said.

"You know what else is really cute?" Magnus said. "You."

Alec blushed.

The puppy was awake now, wriggling around in Alec's arms.

"We have to give him a name," Alec said. The puppy barked.

The doors opened.

"Chairman Bark," Magnus said when he saw Chairman Meow.

"Absolutely not," Alec said.

"Lassie-"

"It's a boy, Magnus."

Alec set the dog down and he ran circles around Alec and Magnus.

"He needs a good British name," Magnus said.

"Technically it is a Welsh corgi-"

"Welsh, smelsh- actually I knew a kid from Wales once," Magnus said. "He was the most arrogant son of a-"

"I thought Jace was the most arrogant person you knew," Alec said.

"Actually, Jace and Will are incredibly similar people."

"I like the name Will," Alec said.

"Magnus," Alec said, gently. Magnus was lost in a moment of reverie. He did that a lot, disappearing from reality for a minute or two.

Magnus snapped out of it.

"Will. That was Will Herondale," Alec said. "Jace's great-great-great grandfather."

Magnus smiled a little but it was painful.

"We don't have to name him Will-"

"Will is a great name," Magnus said.

Will barked in agreement.

...

Will was asleep on the floor and everyone was exhausted after an afternoon at the vet and pet store.

"There's not a dog in Brooklyn more spoiled than this one," Magnus said as he and Alec lay on the couch. Dog toys were scattered throughout the apartment. Most of them were bigger than Will. He also had three dog beds because Magnus couldn't pick just one. He'd also spent a good twenty minutes debating Purina v. Blue Buffalo. He went with the latter, simply because the name was cooler.

The mundane TV show Supernatural was on TV. Alec enjoyed watching it and pointing out the flaws in the characters demon-killing techniques.

Alec ignored Magnus' comment and mumbled something about stabbing.

The show went to commercial and Alec muted the commercials. Magnus couldn't stand them.

They had picked up the little things that annoyed one another.

Magnus' hand found Alec's and their fingers intertwined.

"Will you tell me about Will Herondale?" Alec asked.

"What do you want to know?" Magnus asked.

"You said he was like Jace," Alec said. "But how?"

"You can't picture anyone being like Jace," Magnus realized. Magnus gently touched Alec's parabatai rune.

Somewhere across town, Jace felt it too.

Alec was quiet.

"You'd be surprised," Magnus said. "They're both incredibly snarky. Will preferred poetry-"

"Jace likes fiction," Alec said.

"Does Jace like ducks?" Magnus asked.

"Absolutely not," Alec said.

"Will, with the help of Jem, once tried to breed cannibalistic ducks-" Alec started laughing. "Actually, it became a serious problem."

"No," Alec said.

"It did," Magnus said. "They didn't stick around to see the disaster they had created with the Hyde Park ducks. They were stealing people's lunches, looking for the meat of their brethren-"

"You're lying."

"Exaggerating," Magnus said. "There's a difference."

Alec leaned in closer to Magnus.

"What else?"

"Why are you so interested in stories today?" Magnus asked.

"I just like hearing you talk sometimes."

"You tell me to shut up a lot," Magnus pointed out.

"That's when you're just talking."

"Fine," Magnus said. "Will lived in Wales as a kid and he thought Shadowhunters were bad. Then he accidentally released a demon who killed his older sister Ella and cursed Will. Anyone Will fell in love with was doomed to die. So he ran to the London Institute where he was brought up by Charlotte and Henry Branwell."

"That's where he met Brother Zachariah-"

"Jem," Magnus said. "You know all about Jem. Anyways, they became parabatai. Then Tessa showed up and the world went to hell."

"That's when you met him."

"Yes," Magnus said. "I tried looking for cures for Jem. There wasn't any. Will was a train-wreck. I don't know how many times I picked him up from drug dens. It was more than I let the Institute in on. When we finally figured out that the curse never existed, something clicked in him. He finally felt safe- safe to love. Then Jem died and Will broke again- Alec?"

Alec had tensed up.

"I just- I- Some day I'll break Jace or I'll break and-"

"Alexander," Magnus said, firmly. "The only lesson you need to learn in life is to live in the moment. Worrying about the future will only cause you grief."

"It's the truth," Alec said. Magnus turned Alec's face towards him.

"You worry me," Magnus said. "God, I worry about you so much. It kills me to see you like this. You worry-"

"I have to," Alec said.

"No," Magnus said. He put a gentle hand on Alec's face. "I hate the fact that you're a Shadowhunter; hate it with every fiber of my being. I know it's a part of you, Alec, but it causes you so much pain."

"And I don't like the idea of you going on without me someday," Alec said. "But I live with it."

"And so we beat on," Magnus whispered.

"Are you quoting someone?" Alec asked.

"Fitzgerald, F. Scott," Magnus said.

Alec closed the distance between him and Magnus, pressing his lips against Magnus'.

"How do our fights always end in this?" Magnus whispered in a daze.

"Shhh, Magnus, shut up," Alec said, kissing him again, with more force. Magnus fell back against couch, with Alec on top of him.

"You told me to shut up again," Magnus said as Alec traced kisses down his neck.

Their hearts beat in rapid time.

Together.


End file.
